Feature Friday Master Closet Before + After

(Yes, I’m aware that capital letters = shouting, but that’s how excited I am! I want you to hear an announcer’s voice at the NBA Finals with the crowd cheering and pom-poms waving—they still use those, right?—and really big dudes running out in shiny jerseys. Never mind. Scratch the big dudes).

Because I’m finally delivering on the master closet reveal that I’ve hinted at a few times over the last week or so, and it’s big.

I’ve always wanted a pretty closet (sometimes I wish I could add a line-per-line soundtrack to my posts; if I could, you’d hear violins playing a haunting, nostalgic score right now).

But when we moved into our house (95% of which we built ourselves), the closet was pretty much the last thing on a looooooong (add about 4,567 more “o’s” and you’ll have a better idea of how not a priority it was) list of projects.

So, in went the clothes, the shoes, the jewelry, the hair doodads, the suitcases (?), the leftover home décor (??), the…scuba-gear (??!). Yeah. Our closet was pretty much a dumping ground for anything we couldn’t find a place for somewhere else in the house.

And it was anything but pretty.

But enough of my jabbering. Let’s let the pictures do the talking, shall we?

Ugh!

Okay, obviously not the world’s worst closet. I mean, I have a built-in shoe shelf (c/o my amazing husband) for crying out loud. But there was just too much stuff in too little space…space which was not being utilized to its highest (or even middling) potential.

All the “extras” that had trickled into the closet over the past two years, only to be shoved under the clothes racks.

$5 garage sale “chandy.” It more or less got the job done (i.e. I usually came out of the closet with two matching shoes).

Good shoe-shelf. Bad styling.

A view of the opposite side. Again, the bones are good. My husband made built-in cubbies, a laundry chute, and shelves…that got swallowed whole by my expansive scarf collection. Also, “non-cute” books and all my old issues of Fitness and Martha, were just jammed, willy-nilly into whichever space would fit.

Pretty much everything out. Aaaaah…it already feels so much better, but a closet’s not much of a closet unless it’s actually closeting stuff…right? (You’re nodding your head, but you look confused).

But before we could put it all back in, we had a few teensy changes to make. The first order of business was to add a little color to the space. If you’ve seen my DIY Tufted Ottoman tutorial (which gave you a quick glimpse of our living room), Della’s red and aqua nursery, any of my Wardrobe Wednesday posts, or my new 100% thrifted fashion site, Second Hand or Bare Bottom (oh yes, I did), you’ve probably been able to gather that color and me…we’re likethis. So white walls—even in the closet—were not okay.

I knew I wanted to use some paint samples I had left over from our living room redo, so I intentionally bought a too-dark blue-green shade from Lowe’s called Blue Shamrock intending to lighten it up. Then I opened it and got totally fooled by how light it was in the can (I’m not a paint amateur, I promise. I know it dries darker, but this was really light) and ended up cutting in the closet 3 times because my color kept ending up too dark.

Boy, those were good times.

I finally got a clue and dumped a bunch of white paint into the blue mix I already had going on, and came up with this (the best indication of the color is on my shorts):

Yeah, that’s what happens when you let a 5-year-old press the drill button when you’re custom-mixing your own paint. But it’s pretty impossible to get too upset when he looks like this:

I hope you’re ready for pictures, pictures, and more pictures, folks, because I am beyond happy with the “after,” and Momma wants to show off her new baby!

Believe it or not, that’s the same $5 chandy from the pic before, just reversed so that the lights point upward. Oh yeah. And painted Sherwin William’s Quite Coral with new Tiffany shades (that I had stashed from a different chandelier that I…oh, never mind…my point is I already had them).

If I had really wanted to impress you, I would have ironed a couple of those blouses. Oh well.

We took the single pole that was on this wall and pushed it up to the ceiling, adding another pole below to maximize the space. Shaun’s clothes are on the top pole since he can reach without a step-stool. Man, I love tall husbands.

Two of my favorite thrift-store bags now hang from a pretty dress-form I found at Ross. I got the “door” mirror a long time ago at a “barn-sale.”

I love this “bird verse” print from Jones Design Company! It reads: “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well,” Matthew 6:33. Above the mirror was really the best/only place for it, but I’m really happy that it’s perched there reminding me every time I analyze my reflection that God wants my first order of business to be, not my outward appearance, but my inner holiness.

Hats and scarves are bundled away in those cute jute baskets that I got at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. Isn’t it nice when your shoes just happen to match your baskets? (I promise I didn’t buy those just for this picture).

I took a rolling rack that used to reside in our last kitchen, spray-painted it champagne and loaded it up with the random books, magazines, and, of course, my Anthropologie catalogues that had been jammed into the cubbies. A simple row of hooks was all it took to take my belt collection from a tangled mass to serene order. *Contented sigh.*

Now, that’s a shoe shelf. I bought white paintable, textured wallpaper at Sherwin Williams ($6.99 for singles rolls, but, of course, as with all wallpaper, it only come in doubles…why do they do that? I could write an entire rant post about that very topic—and I just might some day) then painted it Quite Coral and gave it a metallic craft paint glaze to highlight the detailing in the texture.

I’m not sure if that lamp (GW, $3, with a Target shade) will stay, but for now, it brightens up the space nicely.

More hooks now hold my necklaces, which act as wall-art all up and down the sides of the shoe shelf.

If I were worth my decorating salt, I would have stuffed all my bags with paper to make them stand at attention, but a) my taxidermist skills are sketchy at best, b) I’m a real girl with a real house who is too lazy to pull paper out of her bags every time she uses them, and c) I can cram more bags up there this way, and more bags = happiness.

Raise your hand if you love organization…especially in shades of aqua and white. Since we moved so many of our things up, that little teal step-stool from Marshall’s ($10) comes in very handy.

Really, who doesn’t need a fat, white ceramic pig in her life? I found each of the animal figurines (which are actually piggy banks) at the Dollar Store for $1 each (that may sound repetitive, but not everything at the Dollar Store is actually one dollar…sneaky).

The aqua tea-light holders came in these gorgeous boxes that now hold my scarves:

I was so thrilled to find something so beautiful and functional (clear plastic tops so I can see everything!) that already had something I wanted inside (I’m going to hang the rest of the tea-light holders from our pergola outside). And at $4.99 per box of holders (from Ross), it was a steal (especially when you consider that all the other pretty storage boxes I found were $5 all by their lonesome).

I found this little girl at Goodwill for $5, cleaned her up, decoupaged her with (Christmas!) wrapping paper, and changed out the knobs for my favorite white flower versions from Hobby Lobby (50% off, of course). It houses bigger bags like backpacks and totes. I got the vintage suitcase at Goodwill for $2.

I bought this jewelry tree from Marshall’s a while back and found that magenta basket @ Goodwill for fiddy cent.

Fuchsia velvet hangers are definitely a girl’s friend.

I think my favorite element of the entire closet is the “Mr. and Mrs.” poles. I ran across this wrapping paper in the wedding section at Walmart and knew it was just the thing to spruce up plain, white poles. A little Elmer’s glue/water concoction and a sponge brush were all it took to create closet pole magic!

Honestly, magical might be the best word to describe how it feels when I walk into my very own dream closet. It is humble, certainly, by fancy-house standards, but it is perfect for me, and I couldn’t be more thrilled (unless maybe I could have closed my eyes, clapped my hands, and then opened my eyes to discover it all done for me…hmmm…yeah, not so much).

I’ve mentioned the sources and prices for several items already, but here’s a quick (though not exhaustive) reference for the other items:

This is the greatest ever!! I found your blog through your DIY tufted ottoman post (which is the inspiration of the tufted ottoman I am currently working on as a birthday present to myself and started browsing through some of your other posts. The picture of you painting with your baby girl is what is making me a permanent fan! I have two young children as well and sometimes get so frustrated at the challenge it is to get anything done….but, slow and steady wins the race, right? I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to paint or drill or do EVERYTHING with a baby in my arms, haha. I’ll definitely be following your blog and wanted to let you know how cool you are!

Great job on the closet. Sad to say but your “before” picture looks like my “after”. I think it’s great that you had a Saturday yard sale & donated money as well. BTW, where do I look to find out what – if anything – is left?

Can you make a tutorial on how you create the concoction with glue and water to adhere the wrapping paper to the pole as well as the table with the Christmas wrap? I think those are great ideas but haven’t a clue on how to begin? Thanks, Rachel

Amazing closet and so pretty with great organization. I love all the little details…a great job and great pictures. I do not know which part is my favorite..it is like a mini boutique! I am a new follower.

Ah-mazing! I’m going to be tackling my own closet beginning today. And, I have to admit I am a bit scared. This post is something akin to watching those 30 second DIY spots on tvs. You know, the ones that have you convinced of your being capable of managing ANY project on your own after watching their half-minute How-To (Anyone want to lay pavers, hang/mud drywall, add a bathroom? I know how after a short 30 second tutorial!)? Your “After” makes it look like you now have more space than you need. I’m REALLY hoping for that same effect when I’m all done. Fingers crossed!

Girl, I wish we were neighbors, because like I’ve said before, we would be fast friends! I LOVE details and on this project, you did ALL the details! Love every one of them! (especially the wrapping paper pole!) So awesome! Someday, I may live in a house long enough to get to go the closet! …..or….maybe I should just make it a priority! Hmmmmm……Great job on this one! Love it!–KatieCreatively Livinghttp://www.blah2beautiful.blogspot.com

I love this and one of my goals is to redo my closet, so I am inspired. I would love to feature you on my blog and ask you to be a guest judge sometime. Come on by and let me know if you are interested.Email me if you are. Also, I am always looking for people to do guest tutorials.dee@thecsiproject.comhttp://www.thecsiproject.com

I’ve been designing closets for 20 years and own a custom closet company. Your closet is a prime example of why closet design should be left to professional closet designers who pay attention to maximizing space, ergonomics, visibility and accessibility. Your closet may be “cute”, but is certainly not efficient or necessarily functional.

WOW! I’m pretty sure I would be feeling like someone did magic if my closet looked like this! My closet is the most abused space in my home. It is a walk in closet but I dare say that I have too much stuff on the floor that I can’t even walk in it. UGH! I am so impressed to see the photo of you painting holding the baby! You are a real trooper! I hope it still looks just as beautiful and you are enjoying being able to find everything quickly…sigh…sounds heavenly! I’m glad you linked this post up to Roomspiration! I have really enjoyed all the posts you have linked up and am a true follower now. Thanks a million!

Wow! You did an awesome job with this space! I think my favorite part is the Mr & Mrs wrapping paper poles as well. Although it’s all so fabulous, I really love it all. Thanks for linking up for Roomspiration and for the html for the GFC button. My hubby is a programmer as well which I love because that means he’s tech support for my blog. I’m following and going to check out some more of your great posts.

Oh what an inspiration. My closet has been on my to do list for 6months now. Since I am in back to school mode, aka cleaning boys rooms I might as well get mine done too. Love love love the wrapping paper pole, just the perfect touch.

Well, I’m sure glad you stumbled up on my blog as well! And believe me, decoupaging takes less than zero talent. I’m not exaggerating when I say that it is the easiest, least time intensive, most forgiving furniture treatment EVER. You could do it, I promise!

So glad I stumbled upon your blog – you are so talented! I would never attempt decupaugeeueee however you spell it, let alone perform the miracle that it is My closet looks identical to your first before pic – no built in or laundry shoot in the other end – wow – I really need to get to work in there! Whew – and then can you come and organize my garage…another sore spot in the house Be blessed!

i love it! you guys did a great job, i think my favorite (among several favorites) would have to be your creativity in the decoupaging! I’ve always heard fun stories about decoupaging, never actually SEEN a decoupaged transformation, so now im super excited to go try it Jolinda

Oh my goodness! I cannot see enough photos of this! It’s beautiful! And I think it’s a very large wardrobe, though I live in England where ours are ones you buy in a furniture shop! You did an amazing job.

Thanks, Cassie! I appreciate the compliments coming from such a talented woman as yourself. It seems like I can’t read a blog post about design without your name popping up! (I loved your repainted/restyled shelves, btw). And I luuuuurve that yellow rosette pillow. I’ve got one too!: http://www.fivedaysfiveways.com/2011/07/diy-tufted-ottoman.html.

Okay, I’m speechless here…..who would not want that closet? My closet is a huge mess and a third of the size! My favorites are the Goodwill cabinet and suitcase. They’d be perfect for my Club G.W. (Goodwill) Party going on right now! Hope to see you there!

ooooh lala! love it. I need a closet this big so I can make it exactly like yours. haha, mine’s a little small but I am looking at revamping it a bit and making it look more sheek. love the mr and mrs clothing rods.

I sincerely wish that I could redo my closet like yours. Alas, we are renting. Second, I would need a bulldozer to redo mine. Lets just say mine has been a work in progress for some time. Thanks for the cute ideas.

I seriously need to do this for both of our closets (I hoard the one in our room & my husband gets the spare). I look forward to the day I have a closet this huge/adorable! You should link this up to my Green of the Week blog party, some re-purposed things in there! Shayna @ http://shaydesoflife.blogspot.com

Happy to give you hope, Tabatha! And yes, things can get done with kids running around (or napping)…just not very fast. And believe me, once you catch up on sleep, you can get plenty done with just one baby b/c all they do is sleep, eat, and poop! ; ) So nice!

This closet makeover makes me so happy! It greatly appeals to that pregnant nesting instinct that I’ve had to starve basically the whole month of July (and it looks like August) due to being so busy and out-of-town… At least there’s hope, it appears things CAN get done after kids come along! And I’ll only be starting with one (kid), so there’s definitely hope. Good job!

Yep, sometimes, if you wanna get something done, it’s gotta be with a baby on your hip! : ) I have two little boys too, and so I know I look like a crazy mother goose every time I cross a parking lot hauling Della in her carseat, her bag, my purse, and the boys hanging onto a strap each. You just get used to it , though, and after a while it seems normal. Ha, indeed! ; )

Thanks for the feature, Cheryl! That’s two for me from you (you also featured my coffee table turned ottoman! I think I’ll link up my daughter’s nursery this week and go for the hat-trick)! And I’ll admit, the closet turned out even better than I was hoping, and I love just standing there and drinking it in. : )

Abbie, can you please pass me a tissue so I can wipe the drool off my face?. Also, can you pick up my jaw from the ground?. This is hands down the best closet re-model I have ever seen. Love ya girl xoxo

Can you tell me the DIMENSIONS of your closet???? I SWEAR, I am about to go uopstairs and DO my closet, really just straighten it up, BUT it NEEDS an overhaulk like this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I ADORE those built ins and my hubby is VERY handy too so could do that for me. I really think your closet is bigger than mine though. Yours looks AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! An orderly, ORGANIZED closet is like haeven to me and I don’t jabe ONE right now cause so much STUFF is crammed into every single one! I am saving this for reference!!! XO, Pinky

Love it! Love it! Love it! Although, now I am feeling a tad bit of envy as my closet is extremely small and my hubby (I love him dearly) has atleast 2x the clothes I do. Not to mention it’s one of those that you can only see 1/2 of the closet anyhow. One day, one day I’ll get to do a redo of my own….in another closet! Great job. http://www.DavisDomestications.blogspot.com

Your closet looks AMAZING!! There’s just nothing like an organized closet to make you go “aaaahhh!”. I had to smile when I saw the picture of you holding your little girl while you were painting. I do that all the time too!! You gotta do what you gotta do sometimes!

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Hi, I’m Abbie, and M is for Mama is an unapologetic ode to messy, maddening, miraculous motherhood. It’s also where I share my favorite non-M-related passions–like thrifting, endless furniture and knickknack rearranging, exercising, baking yummy treats, putting together ridiculously cheap outfits, hot-glue crafting, and typing out my deep (and not-so-deep) thoughts…almost always with one of my 5 children on or near me. I love Jesus, good grammar, and ho-cho (which I don’t get to drink nearly as often as I’d like in the muggy, pine tree forests of East Texas). (I also love parentheses). (Can you tell?). I hope you’ll stick around and share what you love too! Read more here.